You have to admire a guy who tells his record company that " this is a working album " . Strap your boots on and go to work ! Gotta love it . When guys like this pour their heart and soul into their lyrics and music, it's going to be good . I'm often taken back by the way that guys like him can put what seems to be the most simple issues into song lyrics and they make the most cynical people sit up and take notice . In todays world we NEED people like John Mellencamp to shine a little light on some major issues that are tearing our country apart . Race, Government corruption , Greed, the list goes on ! Hats off to you Sir for a career of speaking for the people that don't have a voice !
as a man living in Indiana with a family and a job and just living I have came to appreciate Scarecrow as some of the best social commentary ever put to record. And as a musician I also think his band is top notch and absolutely unique
I met him and his 3rd wife in an outlet mall in hilton head a few weeks after i had my baby and they came up and told me how beautiful my baby was, i almost passed out lol . love me some jcm
I'm new to John's music, and "Scarecrow" made my jaw drop. Even today, it authentically depicts the harsh plight of American farm life, and it's actually frightening! :O
incredible ... I been a huge fan from the beginning and somehow have always identified with him. Found him to be just a friendly dude playing great music at a concert in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan Canada. He played it like it was the most important gig he was doing. Thanks so much.
He is my MOST Favorite Male Artist of all times!!!!! ( Prince is in there too) My very first concert my husband took me to in 1985 I never Knew all of this! I have been to 9 of his concerts and wish he would go on tour again! I love his family value.. and Love the unity of all people!!! We all Bleed red!!!
In an interview with Sammy Hagar, John Mellencamp said that he wanted to be a painter, and being a musician was an afterthought. This documentary and John's interview with Sammy is an interesting paradox into the real story of John Mellencamp, the singer, and John Mellencamp, the artist (painter).
I'm one of those Aussies who fell for Johnny Cougar, cos of 'I Need A Lover'. A very cute guy with a good rocking song. He has remained one of my favourite artists.
@@jesusislukeskywalker4294 That would have been interesting experience. Conservation was making a bit of a resurgence about that time. It was about that time when we became aware of the ozone layer, and changed the gas's in fridges, under Bob Hawke.
I first hear John's music when I was around 12 years old and it was my father who had Hurts so good on in his garage. From that first taste of his music, I was hooked. And despite the amount of music that he has come out with, it seems that hardly anyone has heard of him in the uk. With very rare broadcasts on BBC radio 2 of just the 1 song of 'Jack & Diane'. John mellencamp is by far my favourite artist of all time past, present and will definitely be future for me.
Guess who that songs about ??! #Yep !!! He even asked me the next mornin' -- What? You want me to write a song about you.. I said "No". . .But, everything we did, what I said, what he said... "I was thrilled" -Then, going to see him every time in --#ATL-- - 2nd time, his band handcuffed us together, around a column... but, when I met my husband of 28yrs- I never saw John, again. I told my husband about it- 15yrs #after the fact; (It was a fun, wild, night. My spouse, got #mad [even though I didnt know him at the time] -John liked my --#verygreeneyes--, ...yes, I am blonde; long-legged - & [I even lied about my age, -telling him I was "22" ...He knew I wasn't] before the questions; he grabbed my hand, & said "your comin' with me" & I did !! It was funny, ..cuz at 1 point- I thought.. I was a gonner...(thinking, "my mom told me not to go off with strange men"...) *Turns out, after listening to his 1 album: #JohnCougar --- #WelcometoChinatown --- Now, I knew 'why that'...Thx John !! I'll still #neverforget - Thx for those gifts you gave me (He signed a 45 "I need a lover"JohnCougar') I'll always have those memories forever; cuz he said "his songs came to him..." [He had already started...even though, I said "No" 🥰• 😉] #coolhuh
@@dar44445 hey! how's life! i wanna-go-back-in-time! it's not fair! oh, the limitation! it's profound and it seems to get compounded! at this rate, we're frickin' *hit*~... can anyone be blamed for one more lost weekend, or a wild night now and then? wouldn't the lord grant that to us, if it were in his power? we may not have much time! just sayin'!
I grew up with his music, my dad would play the records to me, especially SCARECROW and LONESOME JUBILEE and I was so taken by the lyrics and rocking guitars which inspired me to become a musician.
John Mellencamp is arguably the most influential rocker of his or any generation. His relationship with the blue collar everyday working man has captured people's attention for years. His talent is unmatched, he was wise beyond his years even when he was a young man.
i never woulda thought he'd've had a glam-rock-band, and actually wear lipstick, that's like a hi level of *tough*, to pull off somethin' like that, --but he's a maverick! he was always gonna-do-it-*his way*, that's admirable! he's an inspiration to-us-all~
the kid led a charm'd life, ditn't he! he must've had a good astrology chart! good planetary 'aspects' or whatever.. he certainly assembled and sustained the right band -- powerful stuff!
Saw John in concert with Donovan as opener, one of the best shows I’ve seen (have been to many). Donovan had me in a 60’s psychedelic trance & John had me dancing~singing the whole show, everyone there was! 🎉 😅
All I can say is that he is an icon with his own style and upbeat music totally awesome!! I love his 2-CD Collection Words and Music Energy,moving music!!Love You so much 🌹❤️💯
I heard an interview with John years ago, where he said his grandpa got him going back to church, saying, "Why don't you go to church anymore?" John said, "I'd rather go to a bar. A church is full of hypocrites." And his grandfather said, "And a bar's not?"
A Christian doesn`t write songs filled with lies that slander small towns. I`d love the chance to bash this bitchboy in the face with a baseball bat for what he did...
@@wannawatchu66 I`m talking about his disgusting slander of an entire community in Jena Louisiana. I`m from there and know those involved in the "Jena Six" case and the media lied about the entire thing and so did this death deserving punk...
I don’t care what his name is I got every day and one of his albums oh I’m sorry am I dating myself CDs downloads etc. damn good artist damn good writer😎❤️👍🏻🎤 Long live John Mellencamp!
I remember he played a show at the Artcraft Theater in Franklin,In, my hometown. It was late 70s. I don't think there were more than 40/50 people there. Most of us thought wtf is this Mellonhead...little did we know. Before it was all said and done l think l attended every Indiana show he ever did. He's a homeboy. He even told my brother and l to 'fuck off ' one night in Bloomington, In....shit, we thought that was the coolest fucking thing he could have said. I still listen to his music, heartland badass....you go John..!
No one will ever see anyone like the Great John 'Cougar' Mellencamp again. He told the world what middle class America was really like.💖 He wasn't perfect & he knew that he WAS middle class America. 👍 was John Mellencamp - a modern day 'James Dean. Australia
Remember listening to the song, I need a love that won't drive me crazy, in 1980, at a party. The guy I was interested in had a girl friend away at school. It made him a little crazy!
@ 10:40...In Aug '74, while visiting older HS schoolmates at IU, my big brother suggested I go visit a friend of his that had a Bloomington recording studio. The afternoon I showed up, there was a local guy, soon to become Johnny Cougar, taping his first-ever demo. @ 18:05...that grandfather/grandson portrait was shot by Chicago photographer, Marc Hauser, and the Scarecrow album cover.
John threw a bucket of water on me one time. Long story. Also, the silver Corvette you can see for all of 3 seconds parked next to the gas station in Pink Houses was mine after John traded it in for I believe a new Jaguar. I used to drive it to Bloomington all the time and it wouldn't be long before a car full of girls started following me around. My hair was pretty long at the time and I was just a couple years younger than John, so I don't know who they thought I was, but they thought I was somebody. One time I took the car to a local drag strip, Brown County Dragway and raced it against a few cars. Sadly, I beat a guy who had a brand new 1985 Mustang GT, which i liked a lot. It ran 9.70's in the 1/8th mile. I got to know Toby, his bass player. He had originally played bass with a band called Roadmaster which had some success. If you search on here for 'Toby Myers live at Players Pub'. that is a video i did a while back. Nothing professional, just for fun. Toby had an album called 'Big in Japan' and John recorded a song he wrote once. Everyone I met was really nice.
Growing up in Minnesota I think I could relate to John Mellancamp more than any other rock singer. I bought more of his cassette tapes than anyone else. David Lee Roth came in 2nd. And some young people reading this will do a Google search for what is a cassette tape.
That's where teddy gets the phrase "the long and short of it". She says that all the time on the real housewives. That aside, John is a legend. I grew up on his music
"This Time I Really Think I'm In Love" my fav, but the the 1st radio hit I heard in late Seventies "I Need A Lover" and Small Paradise" and "Cherry Bomb" is a fav too.
John always made good music; BUT.... his first 3 albums are phucking EPIC! "To M.G. , Wherever She May Be" probably the most PERFECT song ever recorded.
Here is a story: my hubby worked for Ticketmaster in the eighties and John was playing with Ticketmaster managing the event in Indy I believe, his wife at the time as described by hubby was not made of grace to say it gently and came to the TKMSTR office and demanded "cash" so she could go shopping, she left with a paper bag full of cash. UGH, I LOVE JOHN, I am originally from central Indiana and admire John for not ending up in the Hollywood cesspool, I believe he is now living on Monroe Lake near Bloomington. I still love your music and it makes me nostalgic for my indy home.
BS! Ticket master not then. He was not cheap with his wives. His wives where not fools. Ticket masters money all is wired in by credit card to their bank. Not to a office in your area. Ticket master is out of new york city. Your story is a fib!
I’m not new to John’s music, but I admire the man and what he stands for. I first new him as Johnny Cougar then John Cougar Mellencamp , however I much prefer John Mellencamp. I love all his music and I think Paper in Fire if I have a favourite that’s it. 🎼❤️🇦🇺❤️🇺🇸🕺🏻💃🎸☘️
When I was a 20 something I slept with a 50 year old who loves John too. I remind her I’m a better kisser and everything else though so I made her a COUGAR!!!
I love paper and fire because it’s real, I’m a mixed family and this is a beautiful video and real song. People are people and color has nothing to do with it. Dam people there is no superior to this world. Stop being so hateful to others but seems it’s going on now days and I’m saying this in 2022.
oh yeah? what's it about? where would i find that? dang, i thought i knew who john was, but nobody ever knew what john was gonna do next! he's a real working-class-hero, and a true artist of the highest calibre~
@@tinfoilhatter It's one of those country boy goes home movies. I watched it back in the 90's and can mostly remember him riding around on his Harley back in his "hometown". Really good movie if you're a fan of his.
@@freebird3608 we'll have to see the damn thing sometime, if we're lucky! i got so many favorite songs, there literally ain't enough time to listen to each one of of 'em one more time, even if i had 'em all lined up , queued up in a superduper playlist! there's just a lot! and in a day, pay attention, how many sings can you put on, and really listen, when you pick the songs, that's what i do... there's a song for everything, everything reminds me of a song i already love... i keep rememberin' little things, things people said, or songs i'd forgot, and the words seem to say a lot more than they ever did before... inspirational! annoying!
The reason John Mellencamp was called John Cougar was due to his first manager, Tony DeFries (formerly David Bowie's manager), not taking a liking to Mellencamp's surname, believing it to be too ethnic and therefore hinted that nobody would buy a record by a man with that name; John himself did not like being called "Johnny" as he was never addressed as such in his early life. Chestnut Street Incident, released in 1976, failed to make an impact regardless (critics at the time had derided him for being a Bruce Springsteen knockoff), and MCA Records, which handled U.S. marketing and manufacture of Chestnut Street Incident, refused to accept his second album, The Kid Inside (initially scheduled for a 1977 release), which DeFries would release on his own in 1983 after the success of Mellencamp's American Fool album that came out the year before. Mellencamp then moved to England, hoping for better success, and signed to Riva Records, which was run by his new manager Billy Gaff, who also managed Rod Stewart's solo career. A Biography was his first album for that label, released in 1978 and distributed by PolyGram Records, but was not released in this form in the U.S. In 1979, after "I Need a Lover" took off in Australia (as well as a subsequent cover version by Pat Benatar having success in the U.S.), Riva Records then released A Biography in the U.S., but it was retitled simply John Cougar and having a different track listing. Neither this album nor his next one, 1980's Nothin' Matters and What If It Did, had any significant chart impact and he was pressured to come up with another hit album or risk being dropped by the label... his 1982 album American Fool would change all that, with the successes of "Hurts So Good" and "Jack and Diane," the latter being his first and only Hot 100 number 1 hit to date; the album itself was also Mellencamp's only number 1 album to date. His 1983 album, Uh-Huh, was the first one on which he assumed the name John Cougar Mellencamp (Mellencamp being his real surname). This extended moniker would continue on his next three albums (1985's Scarecrow, 1987's The Lonesome Jubilee and 1989's Big Daddy), before he finally dropped Cougar from his stage name for good in 1991, the year Whenever We Wanted was released.
How in the world is Mellencamp ethnic? People outside the Midwest don't know about all the Mellencamps and Muhlencamps across southern Indiana and Ohio
JOHN. I DID LOVE YOU AND YOUR PAINTINGS ARE FANTASTIC ALL I CAN SEND IS PHOTOS THE BEST THE VERY BEST SO A PIEACE OF AUSTRALIA IN YOUR HOME????? XXXOOO
There are a lot of complainers in America. "Corporations" didn't kill any local businesses. People get used to the status quo and complain when they have to change. If a local hamburger joint is struggling because of corporate hamburger joints then it's time to THINK and GROW. black people are equal in America. Anyone can do anything they want, if they are willing to work hard and make good choices
